Muscle group
Your chest is trained by two kinds of movement: presses, where you push a weight or your body away from you, and flyes, where your arms sweep together in an arc. A good chest routine uses both, across a few different angles.
Written by the GymStreak coaching teamUpdated
01
The main chest muscle is the pectoralis major. It has an upper (clavicular) portion that attaches to the collarbone and a larger lower (sternocostal) portion that attaches to the breastbone and ribs. Together they bring the upper arm across the body, press it forward and rotate it inward. The smaller pectoralis minor sits underneath and helps move the shoulder blade. Presses also work the front of the shoulders and the triceps.
02
Flat presses load the whole muscle; incline presses shift more of the work to the upper portion, and decline presses and dips to the lower portion. Flyes and cable crossovers train the arm-across-the-body action with less help from the triceps. Keep your shoulder blades set back and down on the bench, lower the weight under control, and stop each set with a rep or two in reserve while you learn the movement.
03
Start with one pressing movement you can load progressively, such as a barbell or dumbbell bench press or push-ups, then add a fly or an incline variation. If you train at home, push-up variations (incline, decline, diamond, wide) let you change the angle and difficulty without equipment.
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Beginner compound barbell exercise for the chest, also working the triceps and shoulders.
Beginner compound barbell exercise for the triceps and chest, also working the shoulders.
Beginner compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the triceps.
Beginner compound dumbbell exercise for the chest, also working the triceps and shoulders.
Beginner isolation dumbbell exercise for the chest.
Beginner compound barbell exercise for the chest, also working the triceps and shoulders.
Beginner compound dumbbell exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders.
Beginner isolation dumbbell exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders.
Beginner compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the triceps.
Beginner compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders, triceps and traps.
Beginner compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders, triceps and abs.
Beginner compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders, triceps and abs.
Beginner isolation chest fly machine exercise for the chest.
Beginner compound chest press machine exercise for the chest, also working the triceps.
Beginner compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the abs, forearms and shoulders.
Beginner compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the triceps and shoulders.
Beginner compound smith machine exercise for the chest, also working the triceps and shoulders.
Beginner compound dumbbell exercise for the chest, also working the triceps and shoulders.
Beginner compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the abs, lats and middle back.
Intermediate compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders, triceps and abs.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the chest.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the chest.
Intermediate compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the forearms, shoulders and triceps.
Intermediate compound dumbbell exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders.
Intermediate isolation dumbbell exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders.
Intermediate compound dumbbell exercise for the chest, also working the glutes.
Intermediate compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders and triceps.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders.
Intermediate compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders, triceps and abs.
Intermediate isolation cable machine exercise for the chest.
Intermediate compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders, triceps and abs.
Intermediate compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders, triceps and abs.
Intermediate compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the abs, calves and forearms.
Intermediate compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders, triceps and abs.
Intermediate compound smith machine exercise for the chest, also working the triceps and shoulders.
Intermediate compound smith machine exercise for the chest, also working the triceps and shoulders.
Intermediate compound dumbbell exercise for the chest.
Advanced compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders, triceps and abs.
Advanced compound bodyweight exercise for the chest, also working the shoulders, triceps and abs.
Free GymStreak calculators that go with chest training.
Guides from the GymStreak blog on this topic.
GymStreak's AI personal trainer builds a workout plan from your goal, schedule and equipment, shows every exercise with an animated demo and logs your sets.
